Wellbores are drilled into the earth for a variety of purposes including tapping into hydrocarbon bearing formations to extract the hydrocarbons for use as fuel, lubricants, chemical production, and other purposes. In order to facilitate processes and operations in the wellbore, various tools may be conveyed downhole on a wire or cable. In some cases, the conveyed tool may become lodged in the wellbore causing the wire or cable to break when an attempt is made to pull the tool to the surface. As a result, wires or cables may be lost in the wellbore which can prevent or render difficult the further use of the wellbore for its intended purpose. It may often be necessary to retrieve wires and cables from a subterranean wellbore.